A Week at Rice: Chess, STEM, Tasty Food, Interesting Peers

By Bryce Chua

I spent six days at Tapia Camps at Rice University last summer (late July 2024), and it was one of the best overnight camps I’ve ever experienced. 

One of my favorite things was the fun social interaction between the campers. I greatly enjoyed talking and listening to the interesting stories of the many different high schoolers, almost all of whom lived outside the Park Cities. 

One story that I especially remember was from a camper who was a high school senior, and he told me about how he survived a gunshot wound when he was a sophomore. 

While playing basketball outside with his friends, he was hit by gunfire from a robber nearby. The next thing he knew, he woke up lying on a hospital bed.

I found his story inspiring and was reminded of the diverse backgrounds of other students around my age. 

Another memorable social interaction I had at Tapia Camps was the regular chess matches I had during free time with another camper. 

The other camper was much better at chess than I was, but it was a great opportunity for me to learn. Small moments like these made Tapia Camps enjoyable. 

There were three real-world STEM projects that I worked on and thoroughly enjoyed while at Tapia Camps.

Firstly, I learned how to write and run formulas and commands in a Google spreadsheet related to college admissions. 

Secondly, I learned about Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) where my group built a model underground reservoir using playdoh, beans, straws, dried pasta, and colored liquid. Then, our group learned about the concept of porosity and how it’s related to CCS. 

Thirdly, my group and I participated in Budget Shark Tank where we came up with a water purifier and built a model of it using popsicle sticks, cotton balls, and plastic cups. Through various group projects, our communication and team-building skills improved. 

Tapia Camps are unique compared to other camps because of the large number of campers. I met many different people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and we learned from each other. 

I was also spoiled for choice at almost every meal due to the wide array of foods — a true “taste” of life on a college campus. 

During our daily breakfast, I was drawn to the pancake machine which churned out freshly made pancakes on a mini conveyor belt which I found fascinating to watch.

All in all, Tapia Camps was an enjoyable experience for me last summer.  It not only inspired me to learn more about coding but also boosted my self-confidence because I was selected by the camp counselors and camp instructors as Camper of the Week.

I would recommend Tapia Camps because campers get to meet and talk to lots of new people from diverse backgrounds, the enjoyable STEM projects that campers work on throughout the six-day camp, and the experience of staying on a college campus, specifically the wide variety of delicious food to tickle campers’ taste buds.

I’m glad that I had the opportunity to attend Tapia Camps, and it will continue to be one of the most memorable events of my summer.

Bryce Chua is a 10th-grader at Highland Park High School.